Let's Go To Vampire Mountain Guys!
by Kair the Waterbender
Summary: What happens when my three friends introduce me to a new fandom and dare me to love it? Well a personal adventure of epic proportions of course as we enter the world ourselves!
1. Chapter 1

Hi guys This entire story is still under construction and will not be finished for awhile. Feel free to leave comments if you wish but please understand that I have alot going on and will post when I get the chance. Chapter one has a lot of the back story before the upcoming chapter but due to complication I lost the file and have yet to retype it. Currently the short version is that four friends, lets just call them Solstice, Ali, MyKayla and Kristen all get the chance to be transported to an alternate universe with the help of Evanna in order to prevent a devastating future war and find themselves lost in the woods without a clue what happened.


	2. Chapter 2

For a good portion of the day I had been collecting things I thought might come in handy. A three pronged branch- might make a hand spear head- some dandelion heads that I ate experimentally to slate my growing hunger after the others passed it up, a large club like branch for protection, a smooth stone and small piece of broken oak that would make a good skank when sharpened. My finds had gone unnoticed by the group except for the dandelions and club and it seems after a good few minutes of having it the others found their own branch one by one. It went unspoken that it was better for us to pick it up now when we find it then really need a weapon and not have one later. Though I had told the others why, I had picked up the stick for a reason a few miles back. I could swear I felt eyes on me and though I pulled up the rear of the group, I could find no trace of life behind us and had on more then one occasion lagged a few yards behind just to try and hear footsteps but none came. Every time though a snapping of twigs from the trees would spook me enough to catch up with the girls but the feeling remained. It wasn't until a few hours that a strange thought occurred to me. We hadn't seen much wildlife besides a few squirrels and the occasional bird but one thing remained constant. Every now and then I'd catch a glimpse of black though the leaves, a distant caw, a quick flutter of wings behind my head. Was that crow following them? After a few minutes of debating the rationality of it I settled on just watching for the next two hours as we hiked. An every few yards or so I'd see it perched or flying just in front of us. I was sure it was the same crow, it never left my range of sight or long and continued to circle back. Weird.

Evening was setting in and the it brought with it a mountain chill as the first dark hues of night began to setting on the edge of the horizon. Exhausted, Ali came to a halt in a small clearing with what appeared to be a shear drop some thirty feet away that led down the mountain. Dangerous to be trapped like this if we get attacked by wolves or a bear but it promised a perfect view of the area and what be a good starting point to get the morning sunrise so we could possibly make a compass. For all we know we've been traveling in circles and we needed a better starting point if we planned on making it to Vampire Mountain. And without my knowledge my eyes wandered the scene for anything of use to us but instead locked eyes with the beady cold eyes of the crow perched just a few feet above my head. " Guys is it just me or has that crow been following us?" I hadn't really meant to voice my thoughts but the idea nagged at something in the back of my mind. Like there was something I was supposed to know. "Don't be an idiot Kriston. Of course it isn't. Why would a damn bird be following us," she called back as she leaned on a nearby tree to keep her balance as she peered out over the edge. Something about her tone stuck me wrong, whether it was the fact I was cranky after hiking for miles in the middle of nowhere or that fact that it seemed like more of a jab at my intelligence then a joke, I wasn't having it. We were all tired and if she wanted to start a fight, hell I just might give her one in my current state. Biting back the aggravation I continued," But I've seen it ever since we got here. I swear. It's been in the tree tops most the time but I've seen it through the branches." Ali's eyes caught mine as we continued to size each other up, I wouldn't back down on this one and it was clear Ali had no patience for me. The tension was evident as she made to open her mouth but Mykayla's voice calmy cut though our pissing contest," Are you sure it just isn't another crow looking for a handout? There has to be hundreds in the woods.," she reasoned. I thought about it for a second as Ali slammed her mouth shut and turned back to the cliff.

Searching my thoughts I logically thought about what I had seen and concluded what I knew to be the truth. Resolutely I gave my head a confident shake," No. I'm sure of it. It's the only one I've seen all day. Trust me. After that little incident with Ali and then with Sol. I kept my eye on it." Mckayla humored me and replied logically," Maybe it's just another crow looking for a hand-out," attempting to dissuade me from the idea, clearly considering the possibility that I was hallucinating already from lack of water or confusion. Solstice was no help in the matter as she smiled a small impish grin, "Maybe its waiting to feast on our flesh!" she completed the picture for us with a small shiver in order to break up the building conflict. With a start I gaped, horrified at her lack of tact as that was a real possibility if we didn't reach our destination soon but in the same moment found myself smiling in spite of it at the familiarity of her twisted humor. She said it as if we were back home again hanging out in Waffle House and chilling over plates of hot waffles and bacon. Hmmm what I'd give for a slice of bacon now…"Solstice!" I chided shrilly. "What? I can't help it. I mean we are gonna die anyway if we don't find the mountain soon," she responded matter of factly with almost no sense of solemnness. I stood in awe of her then just trying to understand exactly how she could just say it like we were simply discussing something trivial like the weather. But the moment was gone when Ali turned on her heels and placed a hand on Mckayla's shoulder and faced Solstice. "No we are not going to die. We will find the mountain soon. Just…keep your eyes open. We can't be that far." As almost an afterthought she seemed to only just notice my current actions as I had been crouched trying to urge the crow to fly down with a rub of my fingers and a whistle. Yes I understand that it's not a dog but it's not exactly like I had food. And in all honesty the bird just cocked its head to the side as if it were deciding what to do about me." Kriston would you please stop playing with that damn bird?" she shouted loudly. It was enough to scare the bird off his perch and he relocated a safe distance a few yards well away from me. Sighing I bounced on my heels and snapped up, "I was trying to see if it will come to me." "Leave it alone," she quipped," We've got more important things to do, like finding food for example."

Huffing in irritation, I listened as Ali discussed our current situation with the others, and tried to concentrate though I still couldn't get the thought of the crow out of my mind. I was brought back to reality when Ali snapped out my name. It was obvious I had zoned out for a while as she was standing mere inches from my face, her features not even bothering to mask her aggravation. "Well?" "Well what?" I countered dumbly, no use in lying now. "You. Food duty. Now," she bit out, much like a mother who was at the end of her rope. I had half a mind to argue that we hadn't seen anything edible all day but pressed my lips tight as I remembered that I thought I had seen some bits of blue a few yards back. With another huff I took in her matronly stare and returned it in the most respectful way I knew how. I rolled my eyes. "Fine." Besides it was probably the easiest thing to do at the moment. Let the others worry about shelter, all I had to do was find some food and try not to get lost. Easy enough. I left them in the small clearing and began retracing our steps down the ravine being careful not to use the side that had loose roots like before. After a good ten minutes of this I had made to the bottom. It was apparent no one had been in these woods for a long time. There wasn't a path, no roads, not even a wrapper or something to indicate that humans had ever been this way. While that was good news for us and probably meant we were on the right track to finding to mountain. It also meant we didn't have the luxury of conveniences like water or food or even tools that could mean the difference between us surviving or turning into vulture chow. What I'd give to have a canteen or something to carry water or something. After a good half hour of searching I found the place I had originally thought was where I spotted them. I turned up nothing. Absolutely nothing, not even dandelions for a quick snack.

Suddenly it was as if a dam had broken within me and all the day's tension had finally struck a nerve. I screamed in utter rage as I picked up a rock and chucked it at a nearby pine and kicked at the pine needles around my feet. Hungry and sore I howled in rage, allowing myself this temper tantrum. "This is hopeless! How the hell are we supposed to survive? Is this some kind of sick joke to you? Hello? Anybody out there? We're here. I get the picture now. Careful what you wish for. I want to go home! Are you happy now? Are you happy now witch?" My lips were still hissing out the last consonant when I felt the sharp piercing of the skin on the back of neck and a heart stopping screeching as I whipped around just in time to see a blur of black. Another screech sounded as it doubled back and took a swipe at my face this time with its claws and I had to jump back in time to dodge it. But to my horror I felt my foot suddenly stopped by what felt like a root and my momentum not slowing as I reared back full force. Hitting the ground hard, I blinked away the tingles of pain that shot up my spine as I struggled to find the crow amongst the dark cover of leaves around me. A sudden burning in my hand caught my attention as I scrambled to get on my feet. I lifted myself to my knees as I clutched my hand to apply pressure, hoping to ease the burn only to find it sticky. A drop of blood squeezed out of my palm into a small trail down my hand before I haphazardly balled it up in the lower corner of my shirt to suppress the bleeding. Confused I looked out to see what had cut it when I stopped breathing. Berries. Blackberries. Everywhere. There must have been at least six yards of the thick briars all clumped together in the protection of the young trees. Looking around I realized I must have walked past them a few minutes ago and not even see them. If it wasn't for… I gasped in shock as bolted up searching the tree tops for the culprit who had chased me and low and behold there he was. Cool and collected the crow sat on a tree limb a few feet away just above eye level and caw. Blinking, it took me a few seconds to process the scene as I swear I thought I heard it cackle as if it were amused. There was no denying it now. That crow definitely had attacked her on purpose to make her find the patch.

Awkwardly I gazed up at him and cut my eyes to the berries, afraid to let him out of my sight before deciding that it was worth turning my back on him if it meant food. And just like that I got to work. Stripping my shirt off I carefully tucked the end into my pants and held the top ends in my good hand in order to create a pouch for the berries. All the while, I kept to the side of the bird just in case he made a dive at my back. I doubted my camisole and bra would give me much protection against his beak as my shirt had. The work was quick as I thanked God that I had had practice with these types of briars that my already scratched hand didn't have to deal with more then the occasion brush of thorns with my experience and in no time I had already gathered what felt like a good few pounds. Surprisingly, the crows made no movement at all to attack me again, save for the few flits around me to retrieve a berry for itself. Sighing with relief I clenched the end tucked in to my pants and brought it up to meet the others into a small bag. Proud and slightly tired as the days trek had finally seemed to catch up with me, I headed back to camp. I smiled as I heard the tell-tail snap of wings hitting the leaves. The crow seemed to be here to stay. Perhaps he'd be useful after all. I returned to find my friends waiting for me, there solemn faces lightening at the sight of my pouch. McKayla was the first to crowd me as she hurriedly question, "Sweet what did you find?" Before I could speak Ali cut in smoothly as she cocked her hand on her hip," God please tell me you didn't pick nightshade. You do know what's edible right?" The corners of her lips turned up in a good-natured smirk as she taunted me. Without missing a beat I smiled sweetly, "No Ali of course I did. I'm trying to poison you can't you tell? Of course I didn't idiot." She responded, all humor gone as she seemed genuinely interested in what I had brought. No doubt her hunger had won out against her sarcasm this time. "So what are they?" I opened the shirt to reveal the mound of berries only to hear an excited "YES," from Solstice. A sudden weight on my shoulder startled me as Mckayla congratulated me sympathetically, "Good job. Looks like we'll survive this night yet." A round of good hearted laughter filled us as we were able to forget the fact that we were completely lost in a wilderness in what we could only hope was a fictional world which a gypsy woman had supposedly given us the ability to transport too through these "magical" crystals. A long time pasted in silence as we all subconsciously decided to eat in a comfortable silence as we reflected on our thoughts. No one wanted to acknowledge the fact that we could be wrong. That this journey was a suicide mission or worse, that this was all just a hoax, a reality TV show or something or just a bad dream. The weight of the situation fell around us as one by one we ate our portions and shared the little water that Solstice had trapped in an elephant ear. It wasn't much but we damn well knew better then to complain and chose instead to spend our energy praying that we wouldn't get sick as there was no way to purify it and just choked it down grateful for it's refreshing coolness.

A small comfort we could all be thankful for was by far the fire. It warmed us and lifted our weary spirits as we settled into our respected corners around the pit that Mykayla and Ali had built. The ground was hard but thankfully there was not an ant mound in sight so I lay on the sparse grass and tried to make myself comfortable. Thankfully my over shirt didn't get much berry juice on it so I wasn't worried about attracting ants so I slipped on the now cool material over my camisole in hopes of maintaining more body heat against the night breeze and positioned my arm underneath my head. It was less than ideal but it would have to do. I was vaguely aware of the murmur of chatter that surrounded me but something caught my attention just as I was drifting off. "Repeat that," I ordered tiredly. "I was just saying that it's strange that we still have the jewels. Shouldn't they have disappeared or something? I mean why did they travel with us unless we're supposed to use them to get back? It would make sense right?" Sol cut in," But what if the stones are the only thing keeping us here? What if destroying them is the only way to go home?" Her question countered by Mykayla as she pointed out behind closed lids," And what if they're not and you just destroyed our ticket out of here?" Solstice continued nervously as it dawned on her that there may not be a clear way home," Didn't the gypsy say anything else? Maybe you forgot something or maybe there is a hidden in the rhyme." Stubbornly Ali disreguarded the question,"No no. I've been going over it all day. There's nothing new just that these stones take us where we want to go and well all chose to go here." "What if we have to go to sleep to make it work?" I interjected. They turned to stare at me. Their expressions seemed frozen in a permanent question of my sanity. Before they could object I continued," We did what the lady asked and nothing happened till we fell asleep and we all woke up here. Maybe we all have to be asleep for it to work." They seemed to consider it for a moment. Solstice and Mykayla shared a long glance before turning to Ali who looked caught between ideas. After a minute of silence she spoke up," Even if it were that we couldn't possibly test it right now. Someone has to stand guard in case something tries to attack. It was true but still, I liked my idea. I was just too spent to argue it at the moment and simply muttered a," Whatever, before yawning sluggishly.

"I'll take watch tonight guys. You guys need to sleep." I stopped mid-yawn. Ali sat erect with her club in her hand and I just stared for a moment, surprised at her volunteering like that. Out of all of us she had seemed to be receiving the worst of it all day and I was beginning to see bags slowly sink in. No doubt she hadn't slept much this week and probably didn't get to sleep until late yesterday night. I knew she was tough but even in this state I doubted she could really put up a fight if something were to attack us, however that wasn't saying much considering the state we were all in. If anything I weighed my options and thought about it. I could stay up all night, conceivably wake Ali and McKayla in the early morning to make the compass and probably get a good hour or two of sleep before we had to move. Besides I wanted to study that crow more and was curious as to what it would do while they slept. "No that's alright I can do it," I offered. "No. It's fine you sleep you'll need it for tomorrow,' she replied curtly. It was then she looked me in the eyes and I saw it. Regret. Guilt. Sorrow. She wasn't taking first watch because she wanted to. She was doing it because she felt she had no choice, she blamed herself for our situation. It wasn't her fault really. It is tempting to blame her for bring us the pendants and encouraging us to use them but we were all at fault because we followed her and none of us actually thought it would work. Had we known that we would have thought twice. I wanted to tell her it wasn't her fault. That we didn't blame her but it would only embarrass her, I knew, and would do nothing to convince her otherwise. Left with nothing else I sent her a sympathetic look and with as much feeling as I could manage thanked her. I didn't like leaving her like that but this was something she needed to work out of her system herself and she wouldn't listen anyway. The best thing I could do was just let her be and be there when she was ready to confront us about it. As I lay there staring into the flames, I couldn't fight the heaviness of my lids as they began to droop. With the last of my conscious strength I whispered, "Goodnight," to my friends. I prayed I'd see them in the morning. I prayed to be home. But in my last few moments of consciousness I couldn't help think how nice it would be if we made it to the Mountain.


	3. Chapter 3

Darkness was everywhere. The night air was still, far too still. It was almost as if there was no air at all and all at one I realized too my horror that I couldn't breathe. My mouth gaped but nothing came when I sucked at the space around me. Shaking wildly I clawed at my throat, carving deep rivets into my flesh as I fought to keep conscious against the unnatural force that held me. It was then I saw the painfully bright eyes of something flash before me, circling me, pulsing around the darkness that encompassed me. They were a deep red with a sickly yellow outline and black veins that led to a pair of beady pupils that hung over my convulsing form. But it wasn't the suffocation that terrified me. It was the laughter that followed it, just a hum at first that slowly overcame sound of my blood pulsing in my head and rose with a sharp grating hitch as nails on a chalk board. I couldn't bare it and it seemed whatever force that had taunted me so understood this and released me just as I let loose a terrifying scream of pain. The sound followed me though and refused to stop, it multiplied even changing into shrill cries as the hands grabbed me once more from all sides this time, their shapes rising from the darkness into faces, then bodies. Three of them in all had me and I tried to hit at the hands only to be tackled by the one nearest me, my hands no useless at my sides as I screamed for help. Whispers reached me as I lay under it, soft at first but growing in volume as the weight of the body pressed against me. Confusedly I whipped my head from face to face as the voices formed words,"…wrong…her…wake up…help her…Kriston."

My mind focused on the voices for a long time and it seemed as if I were wading through a fog when consciousness hit me hard with everything becoming too bright, too Technicolor, and too loud from my throbbing head. By the time my head slowed it's pounding I felt that the weight had lifted off me and lifted myself up in time to see Ali Solstice and Mykayla's forms looming around me. Solstice was the first to speak as she timidly took a step forward but stopped short as if she would scare me if she ventured too close. "I…I think so. What happened," I managed through my now raw throat." You were asleep and we tried to wake me but then you started spazzing out, screaming and flinging around. We were afraid you'd throw yourself into the fire if we didn't stop you," Ali offered, careful to not touch me. "I'm sorry I don't know what happened," I finished lamely, confused as to why I had had such a violent reaction, never had I had a nightmare like that before. "Why did you need me?" It occurred to me that it was still nighttime as saw the bright orb of moonlight reflect off the leaves above us and I wiped the sweat that now dripped off my forehead to clear it from my eyes as I tried to concentrate on my surroundings when a bit of light caught my attention.

There were small forms on the outskirts of the camp site, catching the flickering firelight and as I squinted one hopped out of the shadows. A frog? Followed by another and then another until it seems we were surrounded by the things. A chorus of croaking rose from them and it struck me that they were unusually loud for such small creatures and looked up to my friends as they stood surveying the scene unperturbed. "That's why," Mckayla commented just as the frogs began to hop closer, their voices cut short, leaving a narrow opening lined with more frogs. Standing I saw that the frogs had lined a small path with their bodies and that they were herding us up the mountain slope to the side of the mountain. "Evanna,' I heard, unsure as to who had said it as Ali chirped a quick,' Let's go," as she scooped up her stick. I made sure to stay in the middle of the frogs as I remember Sol telling me of their poisonous tongues if they were indeed sent by Evanna and did not wish to test out that theory as I followed the others. "Looks like she knew we were coming. I just wished she hadn't waited for us to go to sleep first before sending them," Mckayla commented as she ducked under a low branch. So I wasn't the only one who was still tired huh.? I guess that would explain why I left even worse then when I had first fell asleep. "Hey just think of what would have happened had I not remembered they were Evanna's. I almost took a swing at a few when they surrounded me. Then I would have been screwed," Ali muttered in weary amusement as she tried to lift the group's spirits. It wasn't much of a joke but the look on her face when she must have realized what was going on would have been hysterical and brought a smile to my face. We pasted the time in small talk as we followed the line of frogs to what appeared to be a cave with a light burnt yellow flickering on the inside that signaled it was currently inhabited. I made my way past Solstice as I tried to get a better look. Could we really have made it to Evanna that quickly? Was this really happening?

I just about crossed the threshold of the cave when a rough hand jerked me back. "Kriston are you insane? We can't just go walking in there. Remember the series? We have to be invited in," Ali's hand remained steady as I tried to shake myself from her grip only to be supported by Mckayla. "Evanna hates trespassers and I don't think it would be wise to anger before she hears us out." And so minutes passed as I finally shook out of Ali's grip and wove my way back to Sol. I gripped the jewel in my pocket and tried to be patient as I mentally prepared myself for what we would find. I had seen pictures of Evanna but there was no telling if she would resemble them or not. "Do you think she'll see us? What if she won't help us?" I mused worriedly as I looked to Sol for help." She will she's the only one who can and I'm sure she has already seen us coming. Just remember, don't call her witch. Here she is known as the Lady of the Wilds." Right. Lady of the Wilds. Easy enough, I just wish the churning in my stomach would stop so I could concentrate on not pissing off possibly the most powerful person I would ever meet in my life time. A gasp up front caught both our attention as we found the culprit and the figure that caused it. She had to be the ugliest, most unkempt woman I had ever seen. Stout and hairy with muscles bulging at the joints it surprised me that the skin didn't break from the weight. And, instead of wearing clothes or animal hides, she wore ropes. They were just as the book had described them, long thick ones with a gold tint that held the light from the cave, making her almost glow against the dark backdrop of the rocks. This was definitely the right person if the anime was any indication what so ever and I suddenly found myself at a loss for words. She addresses us first in what had to be the most surprising thing I'd heard all day," Took you long enough. I was beginning to wonder if you'd ever make it. I don't like to be kept waiting you know," her long finger wagged in disapproval before smiling warmly at us. " Come come. You must be tired. I thought the spell would take you right to my cave but you can never be too sure when leaving magic in the hands of humans. I suppose what we got was as well as can be expected from the likes of you. Come now be quick about you. We've got a great deal to discuss."

I think I just about keeled over. Wait the spell SHE had given us? But that would mean she was the gypsy lady. Woh woh woh hold up she had given us these jewels? Did that mean she had sought us out? Was that even possible? "I'm sorry Lady of the Wilds, but did you just say you gave us the spell," came my answer as Mckayla attempted to be polite and answer the question that bore on all our minds. "Are you deaf?" "N-no ma'am, it's just I'm not quite sure I follo-…" "You were the gypsy lady that gave Ali the jewels," Solstice volunteered. I was surprised to see that Solstice seemed to be completely calm despite our circumstance and clearly was ahead of the rest of us in figuring out why we're here. A simple smirk sufficed for her answer as she her eyes stole quick glances back at our group. With a sudden force I could feel myself become extremely self-conscious in the presences of this woman. A woman who had traveled across two universe's barriers and given four friends a spell that transported them. Shaking I allowed myself to fall behind and hugged my arms protectively as I attentively listened to the conversation. Lady Evanna turned a sharp corner in the cave and a collective awe rose as we sure the layout before us. Though Evanna was a well-known woman of good taste I could never have imagined that this was how she lived in this forest. Delicate couches of embroidered materials in rich colors of the rainbow with flourishes of golden thread balanced upon opulent legs of wood of deep warm tones. Elegant paintings from every art era hung from smoothed walls. The room alone went back at least a hundred feet and was dotted with hundreds of sensual candles of amber yellows and bleeding crimson. Its added warm was inviting and the air smelled heavily of jasmine and sandalwood among other pungent spices that occasionally wafted toward me. But what held my attention was the sweet aroma of freshly baked bread that lay mounted on an outlying table to my right with an assortment of spiced meats and fresh fruits and from the continuous twitching of my fellow girl's heads in that direction I could tell that they had noticed it too. Evanna must have noticed though I never saw her turn.

"Help yourself dears, I have had plenty and I'm sure you must be hungry after your journey. I know I was," she chuckled as she took a seating an overly stuffed loveseat that was impressively larger then herself without so much as a groan. Her gaze fell on us expectedly as we stopped, sharing questioning glances between each other and weighing our options. It was Ali who addressed the sorceress humbly," We are grateful for your generosity Lady of the Wilds but we don't want to impose." Though her posture remained a symbol of humility no one missed the gulp as she struggled to hide her hunger. Amused Evanna sprawled out her legs and rested her hands on her gluttonous stomach and quip," Such flattery, it was been a long time since someone has been able to resist the first chance to gorge themselves upon my food. I'm impressed and insist you and your friends help yourself. But for future reference I do not like to repeat myself, when I offer something do not question me." "Yes Lady Evanna.," came the soft response as we stride to the cornucopia of delights. I found plates of heavy inlaid silver that I passed around to the others before choosing my own goods. A hulking chunk of honeyed bread, a few small chunks of spiced meat and a handful of grapes later I was silently munching on a futon directly across from Evanna. Having been the first one to finish collecting the food she offered me the seat and I thought better of refusing though I felt the strange presence of her gaze as I kept my eyes trained on everything else but her. Settled and full, each girl took to a couch in a semi-circle around the woman who brought us to their cave and waited patiently until she was ready to speak. Her fat fingers delicately cupped the goblet as a deep purple liquid seeped between her lips, a solemn smile tugging at the corners of her face. Once her thirst was sated she regarded us as one regards an unknown creature, apprising each of us thoroughly before moving to the next until she was satisfied. "As I'm sure you all are aware, you four are not here by accident," she paused before turning to Solstice. "I have chosen you four after many months of careful observation for your natures and knowledge of my world. Your friendship was of no importance but proved a great convenience for it will help you in the years to come. I bring you all here as a last resort, you have intimate knowledge about the history of the vampires and vampanese as well as my father but you girls are not bound by the fate of this world and so can aid me in this task. Now what I am asking I do not ask you take it lightly, it is a difficult decision and will understand if you all decide to decline and will return you to your homes and you'll never remember these last two days at all. Evanna's gaze locked on mine and for the first time I didn't feel the need to look away, her eyes were expressively intense as they burrowed into to mine, it was almost like she was trying to tell me something.

"What I need from you girls is for you to give up your past lives, your families and friends… And live here," Drawing another long sip from her cup she continued as we bewilderedly looked to each other for support as the weight of the words hit us." There is a war coming. I've seen it for many years now and despite my efforts I could do anything to change it which is why I went looking for help in your dimension. I needed girls who could use the knowledge of this world against them and help put a stop to this war if not prevent casualties and as far as I can see the future itself has begun to blur with your presences which means there is a chance to prevent this. Unfortunately the only way to ensure you four are prepared is too mix my blood with yours and train you. My blood will speed your learning process along and will result in your fertility as semi-immortals. You will secure your place in the Vampire courts as mates to the preferably the princes, a stipulation I'm sure none of you will have any issue with, and will remain under the guise of my apprentices. You must never tell anyone your true purposes here, it is vital for you to keep this a secret so that it will not further damage the future and simply do what you can to prevent this war or fight when it begins. Do you all understand what I am asking?"

The moment drug one as each of us sat in our own stupor trying to discern if this was a simply an elaborate dream induced by too much ice-cream. One minute passed. And then two. Until I trusted myself to speak through the fog of shock at having so much information put upon my shoulders all at once. "So let me see if I understand this. You brought us here to fight a war? Or rather to prevent war? But you're so powerful. Couldn't you simply fight in the war. Surely you would be more of asset then we could be." Calmly she leveled her reply," Yes you are correct. And as for my powers it is true I am strong but even I am unsure if I could fight a battle such as this and win. Even still, I cannot meddle with future as my father can, the laws of the Universe prevent me, as an immortal, from directly interfering with what is to come however if does not prevent me from taking precautions and training people to go in my place." Mckayla's melodic voice, seemed on the edge of hysterics as it cracked," But why us? We're not fighters. Aren't there other people more suited for a war then us?" "Yes all true I could have chosen a soldier from your world or even other girls but it would do me no good. I needed girls with the qualities you all possess, and as for your fighting you won't be using your fists. Unlike the vampires, I prefer to use my mind as you all will learn to do. The qualities you all possess will affect the kinds of powers you will master in for the time being. But that is not important, I will teach you other techniques when the time comes but for now I need answer from all of you now. What is your decision?" Panicking I excused myself out the room and ducked behind the wall of the cave entrance and gulped in breath as I steadied myself. Sliding down I griped my face in frustration and grief. Everything I had ever wanted was dangling in front of my face: powers, the man of my dreams, adventure. And all for one price, the life I left behind and my family. Would we even get to say goodbye? What would my parents do? How are they going to cope thinking I've been kidnapped or murdered of just ran away? What am I going to do? I'm not quite sure how much time pasted it could have been minutes or hours for all I know.

But it was the sound of a single pair of footsteps that brought me out of my emotional meltdown as I startled to see Mckayla offering me a hand, the others standing nervously behind her shuffling their feet with an air of quiet excitement. They wanted this I realized. Each and every one of them wanted this life. They all had a life they were willing to give up just like that and here I was throwing a quench into the plans. They came to convince me. I sickened at the thought and struggled to keep the bought of nausea that followed in check. "How are you feeling?" "You've been out there for awhile.""Yeah we were getting worried about you?" Forming a tight grimace I shakily answered," I'm fine. I guess that was all a bit much for me to take in at once. And I've gotta say I'm not too sure about this. I'm not sure if I'm ready to give up my life. I like it just the way it is." The others glanced at me and I could see in their faces how torn they were. This was their dream come true and they didn't want to see me go. If we all stayed we could be the closest thing to family we have left in this universe. "There has to be a way around this," I mumbled more to myself then to the others. "We won't ask you to something you'll regret. We understand Kristen if you want to go home." "I don't want to leave you guys. This is a once in a lifetime opportunity for all of us I'm just not sure if I can do it. I'm not a fighter." "None of us are girly but you wouldn't be going in alone. We would be doing it together." I smiled in spite of myself grabbed Sol's outstretched hand and pulled myself up. "You're right. And you know what if Evanna is the meddler she says she is then she can surely teach us to go back home with that magic of hers if we succeed. Besides you know what suddenly the thought of being with a fictional character is so more appealing than going home," I laughed. Things would be fine I wasn't alone and anyone with the magic to bring us here would surely be capable of taking us back if we did as she asked.

"My answer is yes but on two conditions." My fists had balled in tension as I controlled myself and tried to remain as confident and unmoving as possible so she would take me seriously. I've never barged with a witch before and quite frankly, challenging her at all seemed like a bad idea in general but I had to do it. I had to try. "One, I will not sever my connection with my previous life completely. I want to be taught how to transport an object to my universe to keep up communications and will take every precaution to not reveal my location or circumstance." Her eyes widened a fraction and she remained quiet as I took that as encouragement. "And two…when this war is over and our job is done, I want you to teach me how to travel between worlds and time so that I may watch over my family. " Evanna took in my presence, hastily she rose from her seat her and met me in the center of the cave in two strides of her thick gait and stared down at my increasingly shrinking figure. I didn't know if I should run or cry but I was determined to have her hear me out. If she really had spent months watching us then she knows how much family's is important to me and would have to make an exception if she didn't want to waste all her hard work. Her right hand shot out from its menacing position on her hip and I braced myself for the blow but still I refused to look away from her eyes. The weight of her hand was surprisingly light for its size as it felon my shoulder, in an almost comforting motion as she patted it with approval. Silently I release the breath I was holding and gave a small smile," You have courage my dear. I will give you that and since you will be helping me safeguard my interest I suppose there is no harm in letting you send word to your family. I simply wanted to test you all, see how far you were willing to go to help me and it seems I was not disappointed. I will grant your request and teach you what you want to know but you must complete your end of the bargain. I will not teach you to travel between worlds until the threat of war is over. Do we have a deal?" Grinning I held out my hand and shook," It would be my pleasure."

And so our training began. The blooding part was exactly like a vampire's but was slightly painful for me at least and took a few extra minutes of blood on blood transfer as it was as if my body were rejecting the stinging blood at first until Evanna used her magic to force it to the heart which subsided the burning once my whole body became accustomed to it. For the next year we trained under Evanna and began to understand what she meant when she claimed our personalities will naturally determine the gifts that come naturally to us. Ali being the leader and bit of a hot head surprisingly undertook Evanna's gift of mental manipulation as well as what we discovered soon later, after a particularly gruesome bear attack, she could manipulate bodies by their life blood as well as sense changes in blood that indicates health and emotion. Mykayla being a quiet one began to practice shadows and turning them into weapons and that gave them the ability to physically hit a target, stop a target by their own shadow, and blind them in complete darkness. Solstice preferred weapons in a fight and was apparently a natural at throwing knives but had to culture her magic and learned she was a necromancer as well a light bender, using bolts of electricity in place of knives when she felt like it as well as temporarily alter the light around herself to cast the image behind her through her own body, making her invisible. Thankfully it takes her too much concentration to keep it up for longer than five minutes or else I'd be in major trouble when it came to pranks. I cultured the four elements as my gift of choice on account of my natural connection with nature and could mentally bond to an extent with small animals at the moment though I hope to graduate to larger ones in the future. Mainly I chose to be on the defensive when it came to fights and normally helped with assists as my gifts were rather latent in comparison to the others as I was the last one by two months to get their first power. The training was literally from sun up to sun down and the fact that we were also Evanna's slaves, I mean servants, I mean apprentices for the time being, we were exhausted ach day but happy to be in each other's company and bided our time before we would be ready to present ourselves to the Princes. The meeting would be in less than a year and by that time Evanna said she would have taught us everything that we would need for our protection and would depart. And honestly I couldn't wait.

When the day came we were all in a rushed blur. Clothes scattered the rooms and we frantically gather up our introduction outfits, ones Evanna herself helped us create in order to 'secure' our position amongst the council's men, and began the all-day affair of preparing for the journey. The witch had spared no expense with our clothes and was confident that the rule on outside clothing would be disregarded in our favor given the circumstances ie. we would be too attractive to pass up, so we packed every item of clothing, makeup, jewelry, shoes, and perfumes we could into our travel bags. For a week straight we routinely bathed in highly perfumed baths and moisturized heavily with lotion in preparation as well as manicure are hair and nails. The four of us agreed to leave nothing to chance and we wanted to impress the men we intended to marry so everything had to be perfect. For the occasion Evanna also one for dramatics, procured us each our own horse so that we may make the journey up the mountain's back passage in style so that we would remain refreshed in order to entertain the men if we decided too later. My mare was a beautiful cinnamon brown with a light tan mane and thick lashed eyes and I couldn't help but fall for her the minutes I saw her and I'm sure I would need it given she had mentioned it was winter on the mountain and she could only transport us to the base of it as it had to appear we had traveled for some time so as not to offend the Vampire Princes upon arrival due to the travel by foot rule. Ali suggested we all agree on the story before we were to be present to the Princes and that we should be extra respectful to be accepted since we would be breaking a great deal of protocol and so for a good hour before departure we ended up practicing bowing in synch and what positions would make us look innocent, and what words we would say if asked our reasoning for coming. Finally we were ready for the departure and mounted our horses. I gave a last glance at the cave that had been our home for the past year and though it was a hard year it seemed like it hadn't lasted long enough, suddenly we were all about to set foot into the real world and try and prevent a war as well as becoming the wives of the most powerful beings in the world. I felt so helpless amongst the rapid changing world but I would not relent, I made a promise to my friends and myself and to succeed was the only way to go home now. I had to do this for myself and for the people of this world. With a wry grin Evanna mounted upon her amphibious beast raised her hands to complete the charm over us that would transport us. "Ready?" I closed my eyes and replied with the others," Ready." And we were gone.


	4. Chapter 4

The mountain itself was magnificent in its extent and stretched on far past what the night flurry would allow me to see into the distant night sky. The peaks were steep as we neared the entrance and we had to mindfully choose our path for the horses that carried us and our belongings. It was slow progress moving up the canyon surrounding it with a few close calls but the land had begun to plateau in small areas as we neared the entrance, one in particular was rather large and looked to be well worn from what I could only imagine to be training or duels on account of a single ax lodging into the side of the rock. Shivering, I pulled the thick fur around me even more tightly then before but whether it was from the cold or the sudden image of a battle crazed vampire I couldn't quite say and struggled to keep up with the main party as my mare seemed to be just as reluctant as I was to continue and after a few comforting words and pats she trotted quickly to rejoin the others at the rear.

The night air blew lightly over landscape bringing with it soft, crystalline snow that daintily fell upon our small convoy. The night was cold enough to prevent the flakes from melting quickly and instead they would sit for a few moments upon our clothing and adorning us as if with diamonds. My gaze wandered from the path ahead to the others as I wondered how the princes would reaction when they saw us. As my eyes fell to each woman I couldn't help but praise Evanna's abilities and taste. Each of us was adorned with clothing that suited each woman perfectly and in some subtle way seemed to reflect our personalities and abilities.

Ali's outfit was Victorian in taste with an edge of modern fashion as she layered her plunging neckline, form fitting dress of deep crimson and black lace with under her Victorian "V" sweetheart midnight ebony corset. Her cloak was longer than the rest of ours and intricately detailed with spiral flourish that ran the length of the fabric in fine gold over a rich velvet red that brought an image of blood upon skin among the white backdrop. If she was cold with all that exposed skin then she did a hell of a job concealing it for not once did I see her black gloved hands tremble. Her hair was curled and flowed freely swooped to one side and she chose to keep her makeup lite in favor of highlighting her natural beauty with a blush that was a shade too deep to be natural. I almost shuddered to think of the effect it this "blushing bride technique" would have upon her target- Larten, but quickly dispelled the less then welcome image as I turned to Solstice.

Discarding the feminine trend, Solstice chose clothing that was perhaps more befitting of an ancient, elven warrior then a "fertile bride" but with Evanna's few additions overall created an enticingly deadly image befit of an Amazon warrioress. Unlike myself of the others, Sol's hooded ebony cloak with white fur trim around the outer edges was attached as a part of the ensemble at the shoulders by tarnished golden clasps while ours simply held at the neckline by thread. Her clothing consisted of what I could imagine to be thick, tanned, mahogany, animal hide riding pants that was layered with a dark forest green medieval loose long sleeved shirt that draped over her figure and somewhat hidden under a layer of espresso leathered breast plate that appeared black in the lighting and companioning leather protection for each elbow, knee and hand and bound with a tan leather cord. Her shoes appeared to be a type of moccasin that wrapped around her feet up to the knee with what I was sure was a white hare's fur for the trim. The finish the look, a belt of linked metal and leather held small bags that I was sure filled with some sort of weapons and through her flapping cloak I caught sight of three glinting knives hidden in the shadows of the garment at the hip. We were lucky Evanna was there to threaten her because without it I'm sure Solstice would never had allowed us to assist in her makeup and even then settled on a bare skin look with light lipstick and eye shadow and her loosing flowing hair.

Mikayla's was perhaps the most modest by far and the least embellished but what she lacked in accents she made up for in adornment. The dress was beautiful in its simplicity as seemed to blend in with the wintery world round her, its pearl tones were breath taking with the simple silver lace veil that covered the skirt of her long winter dress. Among the sound of hoof hitting stone could be hear the melodious tinkling of her 30 something plain silver bangles that hid each of her wrist of her opera gloved hands. My shoes were ballet style slippers with a thick grey leather bottom with ribbon wrapping up her legs and disappearing underneath the hem of her dress. Her makeup was dramatic in a smoky fashion and held a lite sheen of glitter that caught the moonlight as well as the clear chandelier type earrings that shown through her elegant side bun and curls that tastefully held small crystals themselves. If I hadn't known any better I would have thought from a distance that she was a ghost in her slow deliberate movements.

Finally I thought of myself and unconsciously released a hand from the reins to toy with the strings of my hood. Nervously I glanced down at myself and forced a reassuring smile as I fingered the fabric of my dress, a soft, silky fabric of deep teal in a one shouldered, Grecian goddess style dress that reached to my ankles with one long sleeve draping past my fingertips, the other exposed arm with a matching pair of navy gloves with vibrant gold detailing that extended from my upper forearm and narrowed to a pointed tip where the fabric of the otherwise fingerless gloves wrapped attached to a golden ring and upon my middle fingers. My hooded cloak was the same navy blue of my gloves and was toped around the neckline with the faux pelt of a black fox that I insisted be synthetic as I hadn't had the heart to wear the pelt of an innocent animal. Around my neck held a choker of moonstone that wound as a vine with gold leafed tendrils around my neck and was outlined by the thinnest sliver of chalcopyrite that gave an array of rainbow color in every directions. The motif of chalcopyrite was continued with small details such as the studs in my gold ear cuff right above my teardrop diamond dangling earrings, accent on my black riding boots and the set in stones of my leather hip bag. It was difficult choosing the right hairstyle for myself and ultimately after a failed attempt at an array of braids, I settled for a simple half up do with light curls and the upper layer of hair tied together with a leather sting attached to raven feathers and braided in a fishtail fashion down the center of my back. Allowing Ali to aid me she powered me dramatically and shaded my eyes with a smoky look that made my eyes almost smoldering in contrast and highlighted my cheek bones with a light bronzer and blush to give my skin some much needed color. It was a bit more then I was used to but the overall effect made me nearly unrecognizable and I was grateful for her skills. If I had to put my look into words I would say I appeared to be an elven version of the Goddess Nyx.

A sudden elated gasp from the front of the party caught my attention and I looked up see what had caused it and was not disappointed as my own gasp joined theirs as we gazed up at a colossal cave opening ahead of us and proceeded to enter. I remember the detail of luminous lichen and was very grateful for the glow as the light of the moon faded with each step we took into the darkness. Gripping the reins tightly I strained to see the path ahead as we maneuvered past a rather beautiful column of Stalagmite that stretched to the ceiling unto a natural circular incline towards multiple cave openings. Without hesitation Evanna led us directly to one nestled in between two larger ones on the left side that was just big enough for us to remain mounted on our horses comfortably. After about half an hour we reached a massive door etched into the cave. The structure must have been twenty feet high at least with a width of about fifteen feet made out of solid wood and if I had to guess the thickness of the wood planks used to make it was probably at least a foot. The wrought iron bars made the door a menacing profile with its medieval style framing and studded 6 inch points that jutted out towards us from the door. I scanned the door and found a small horizontal slit in the frame work that was just at eye level while on the horse and what must have been the peep hole they check out and stared intently at it as I watched Evanna dismount her frog and commence three reverberating knocks, or rather pounds on the door. A moment passed in complete silence as it was apparent Evanna was getting impatient but refused to attempt to knock again when a clang and click of a key sliding into place was heard from the other side and the wooden slit flew inwards to reveal a stern set of eyes. They widened no doubt at the party in front of them and I swear I almost could hear a strangled coke as he regained his composure and in a level voice commanded "Address yourselves to the gate." Nervously my friends and I stole a glance at each other as we made to answer before Evanna beat us to it. "I am Evanna, Lady of the Wilds, come to seek Council," she replied effortlessly. One by one starting with Ali, then Solstice, Mikayla and finally myself, followed suit and stated our names and purpose. Hesitantly, albeit reluctantly the guard replied wearily " Evanna, Lady of the Wilds, is not recognized by the gate. You have no business at council" Oh boy this was not going to end well, and if the witch's neck was any indicator her jugular vein popping out was a very, very bad sign. "Not…recognized?" Came her response through ground teeth," By whom?" her voice dropping to a dangerous octave. The guard did a double take and gasped out," By the guard…M'Lady," At least the man was smart enough to not give her his name of rank. A Cheshire grin played upon her face as we all watched in wonder as she took on a predatory persona and addressed the guard in a sickly sweet voice of velvet. "My Lady is it guardsman? So you are aware of whom I am and yet you will not grant me and my companion's passage? Perhaps I should make Paris aware of this little incident and have him educate his men on how to properly address ladies. I can't imagine what he would do if he found out you denied these ladies and myself proper rest after such a long journey during a peaceful meeting. Or perhaps I should just deal with you myself as I did Perta hmmm?" The guard gulped audibly and rattled off the formalities of our recognition and welcoming by the gate and with lightning speed swung open the door with a groan. Cheekily Evanna remounted her animal before leading the way at the front of the troop but not before shooting a quick glare and slamming the opened door into the guard that was currently now lodged between rock and wood with a horrifying crunch. An unlady-like snort bubbled up before I could stop it and with a backwards glance Evanna smiled her approval and bellowed a laugh of her own, the others soon followed. A similarly dressed guards man stood a ways back and wait nervously for Evanna to address him before bowing lowly and cordially asking us to follow him to the Hall of Osca Velm to be formally welcomed into Vampire Mountain.

The book's description did not do the Hall justice, as it was more homely and warmly inviting then I had originally thought with all the flames and I found the aroma of the fires intoxicating as I had always loved the smell of burning wood. It was considerably warmer than the dank caverns but we had all collectively agreed to keep ourselves covered completely with our cloaks and would "unveil" when we were each presented to the Princes for the ultimate effect to ahem capture the attention of the men of our dreams. With my hood drawn lowly over so that only my lips and chin were visible I allowed a mischievous smile at our plan and through the slit in the material watched a large man climb a ladder and add what I supposed were our names to the legendary black stone. Resisting the urge to look up as I heard male chatter stop as we neared and multiple crashes proceeded to follow us along with a rather nasty spill of what I imagined was ale sounded off the cave walls and a small fight broke out over the accidental drenching. At one point we had to stop when we reached what might have been the entrance to the Hall of Princes because the green clad guard attempted to persuade Evanna that we would be more comfortable without shoes and such encompassing cloaks and animals. A crude laugh and a hard slap against skin could be heard as I caught sight of Evanna's huge feet plop unto the floor. "Perhaps you are right about the animal's young man but I will not have my girls and I insulted in such a manner. If we wanted to be as scantily clad as harlots then we will do it in good time. "Apparently the guards were aghast at her insinuation that they were trying to "dishonor" us by disrobing us and hastily attempted to apologize and reiterate it was for the Prince's safety but the Lady pretended not to hear and cut them off with," Oh don't worry these ladies will not harm the Prince's in the slightest and are perfect the way they are. Now come girls."

No doubt the guards knowing full well whom they were dealing with decidedly remained quiet until the first guard we met, and let us pass freely, but I could feel their gaze burning begrudgingly at our forms. I heard the at least one pair of feet hit the stone before a rough hand settles upon mine. Rearing back I drew my breath heavily as a gruff voice kindly responded," Allow me miss," and without warning gripped my waist and easily lifted me off my horse and planted me firmly on the ground. The hands lingering perhaps a few seconds too long and I nervously took a step back and broke the contact with a small courtesy and brief," Thank you before turning face and hurrying to the Mykayla a few steps away and grabbed her hand. Whispering I questioned her," Are you ready? I'm terrified! What if they don't like us?" "Kriston calm down. Breath. Look there's no guarantee they'll like any of us but at least we tried. Besides we look far too pretty for them to not give us a chance. I'm sure it'll be fine." "Easy for you to say. You look like an angel! Gavnur would be insane to take you!" "Shhhhh! Kriston!" "Sorry," I giggled as I swore I could see a lit blush creep to her face in the split second she playfully raised her head to glare at me. My nervous were killing me and I wasn't sure I could stand the tension as we double file strode toward the entrance past more green clothed guards and felt the oncoming presence of the male mob trailing close behind. The minute we passed the open entrance the light seemed to explode around us as I made out the dimensions of a large room from a few stolen glimpses up and my fingers trailed out curiously to touch the passing the stone pews that lined the path toward the Prince's thrones. I didn't dare look up when we each stood side by side in front of what I knew to be the thrones and I couldn't speak for the other's actions but the fact that all heated debates pattered out when we reached the center of the room told me all eyes were on us and were about to be the main attraction. I almost felt guilty keeping them from settling real matters of state but then I remembered why we're here. Life or death. Possible end of the World. Mating…hello earth to Kriston sooo not the time nor the place to be thinking about THAT. Focus what's going on now? I had no idea which Princes were in front of us at present as I knew one would be absent and I prayed silent it would not be Vancha as I wanted so much to make a wonderful impression as I had planned which would leave Paris Skyle, Mika Ver Leth, and Arrow left to be missing. I breathed deeply and closed my eyes tightly as I calmed my raging heart beat and surrendered in the fact that I would find out soon enough when I was introduced.

A warm noble voice greeted us from the thrones to which I could not even guess as to the owner," My how the years been good to you My Lady of The Wilds to what do we owe this honor of being graced with your presence? And what lovely young companions!" "Paris, ever the gentleman. You flatter me. And as to my purpose for coming I have brought a gift, or should I say gifts to the clan. Some time ago I discovered the ability to 'share' a particularly special gift with a select few of my apprentices and with their consent I brought them here to present them to you as a token of my generosity." That was our cue. Each of us dropped to one knee just as we practiced to show our respect before being addressed and waited for our formal introduction to rise. The room was bubbling now with curious muffled voices discussing the scene before them as Evanna half turned to address most the room and princes and bellowed," May I present my _**fertile**_apprentices, Ali, Lady of Blood. " I saw Ali's boots pass me as she rose and unhooded herself before the Princes and as well turned to the men in search of Larten before remaining standing by us. Then came Mikayla and her title Lady of Light, then Solstice, Lady of the Night, and finally I heard my name, "Kriston, Lady of the Land" and slowly rose and took two steps forward and uncovered myself before three of the burliest men I had ever seen in my whole life and curtsied before them and turning to survey the room- No green haired wonder, Vancha was no in attendance. Evanna's little introduction had definitely sparked an interest but it was apparent that many had not quite caught the 'fertile' as in fertile like she was and needed clarification. I walked back to my position dejectedly and looked up to Evanna for guidance as I was lost at what to do next. "I have gifted these lovely ladies with fertility so that they may choose husbands from among the vampires and increase your numbers." The dark haired man, Mika perhaps was the least unfazed though his mouth twitched multiple times, the older man who must have been Paris looked as if he might choke as he silently processed her words. The bald headed one- Arrow I know from the arrow tattoo was the first to speak," You- you can't be serious…?" "I'm completely serious." "But these children-" "Women are completely willing in this and have been well advised of their freedom in the matter. It was their decision."

The bearded gentleman rose and folded his hands in front of him as he regarded us. " Is this true women? Have you come here in order to fulfill this wish?" He searched our faces for doubt and settled on mine which must have mirrored my fear before I gulped and took a step and bowed without facing him,' Yes Prince Paris. We have come here in order to seek admition into the clad so that we may bare the children of our…mates." Biting back my tongue at the carnal word I forced myself to smile. Like hell I would mate anyone. I marry for life but they didn't need to know that just yet. I just had to keep it together. If anything my answer seemed to confuse him more as I regained my composure and dared to look in in the eyes, there was a light in them and a quite suspicion but I assumed his kindness won out as he turned to Lady Evanna and held out his hand for her to take and kissed it. "It is a wonderful kindness you have given us Evanna and to you my dears I welcome your intentions however you understand it is not my choice alone to decide. It is a matter that should be left to vote as it would affect the clan. Ali and I nodded our understanding as he returned to the throne and addressed the other princes. "I believe these ladies would make a fine addition to the clan. What say you Arrow? Shall we allow these young ladies among us?" "I fail to see the benefit of it but see no harm in letting them stay." "Mika?" "I am unconvinced of their purpose for being here, what do the Generals think?" It looked as if a few of them were ready to jump up and voice their opinions when a medium sized man with a roughly scarred face rose and spoke. "May I have permission to address the princes?" "Granted Gavnur." "Thank you. I believe that if these women wish to join the clan that we welcome them. They have obviously been through a great deal in order to stand before us and have been more than generous by offering their -good fortune for the benefit of the Vampires. It would be an insult to turn away such lovely creatures and more importantly, if we turn them away what will become of them if they do not remain under Evanna's protection? If the Vampanese learn that these women exist or that this ability can be granted to other women it could start a war." I ground my teeth as Evanna's warning rang through my head, a war was coming regardless and we needed to be here to ensure the survival of the Vampire clan. He had no idea how right he was.

"Gavnur makes a valid point. If word should get out of these women it could cause an uproar." "Which is precisely why they shouldn't stay if the Vampanese found out they would start a war just to have them for themselves. Let them stay with Evanna, they would be safer and less trouble with her." "I understand your apprehension Arrow but we cannot deny that these women have asked to join us specifically we cannot just deny-""QUIET!" All eyes swiveled to Evanna whom looked as if she might punch the lot of them if they dare cross her. "These women cannot stay with me. It is not safe for them. Desmond Tiny does not know of their existence and for good reason. These women are special and I could not leave them in the wrong hands which is why I sought you out so that you could hide them among you." "Then let's put it to the Hall for the final decision then. You all understand that risks that this would undertake and the discursion involved if these women are to be kept a secret. It is in your hands. If you think they should stay with us let them raise their hand." A wave of hands rose in time. It was unanimous. We were going to be accepted by default, we knew they would never say no if there was a chance that the Vampanese might take us that they would let us leave. I just hoped I could fight the urge of confinement that I felt with the finality of the decision because though I know we would have our freedom I could not help the feeling of imprisonment that came with the knowledge that we belonged to the clan now. Would we ever be allowed to leave?


End file.
